The following background information is provided to assist the reader to understand the environment in which the invention will typically be used. The terms used herein are not intended to be limited to any particular narrow interpretation unless specifically stated otherwise in this document.
Most pains, such as back pains and numbness of lower limbs, can be associated with fatigued muscles and restricted blood circulation and may be caused with prolonged sitting. These pains can be reduced by an active exercise routine or by lying down or standing up to stretch and relax the muscles and improve blood circulation. However, performing such active exercises often times may not be possible in some working environments, or when traveling in a confined space, such as an automobile.
There are devices for passively exercising a portion of at least a human body, particularly, a lumbar region of a spine which are well known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,131 to R. Hazard teaches an apparatus for passively applying a force to the lumbar region of the spine utilizing an inflatable bladder in contact with the lumbar region which is pressurized and depressurized to effect a change lordosis. The pressurization and depressurization of the bladder is achieved with an air compressor pump and a plurality of solenoid valves and timers.
A pressure regulator installed intermediate an air supply source and the air compressor pump is included for controlling the pressure in the bladder at maximum inflation and for limiting such maximum pressure. The pressure regulator is either a precision variable pressure release valve type or a combination of such plurality of solenoid valves and timers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,637,076 to R. Hazard et al teaches an improved apparatus incorporating a transducer element for monitoring and measuring forces produced by such inflatable bladder and a logic system responsive to the output of the transducer for controlling the application of force. A single valve is used for release of the pressure to the atmosphere for depressurization of such bladder.
Both U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,981,131 and 5,637,076 teach such an apparatus as either a portable device or one which can be integrated into a chair or a vehicle seat.
The primary disadvantage of such prior art devices is the complexity and added expense of the air supply and control arrangement to pressurize and depressurize the bladder and control the forces applied to the human body. An additional disadvantage of such prior art devices is a requirement to provide an air supply source.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,528 to G. Scott teaches a seat assembly with an inflatable bladder for adjustable seat support having an air delivery system for both pressurizing and depressurizing the bladder utilizing a one-directional motor driven pump and a plurality of valves selectively operable to communicate the pump outlet with the bladder and the pump inlet with atmosphere for inflating the bladder and selectively operable to communicate the pump inlet with the bladder and the pump outlet with atmosphere to deflate the bladder. This air delivery system also utilizes one or more spring biased check valves.
The air supply and control arrangement reduces the complexity and expense of the arrangement taught by U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,981,131 and 5,637,076 but requires manual control of pressurizing and depressurizing the bladder therefore rendering it impractical for passive exercising of the human body.
A variety of existing portable massaging devices for exercising a portion of the human body utilize small electric motors to generate vibration only strong enough to tickle the body which is not sufficient to adequately exercise and relax the muscles.
Therefore, it is desired to improve presently available devices for passively exercising at least a portion of the human body.
Additionally, those persons requiring monitoring of the blood pressure use noninvasive blood pressure measuring devices which generally include a compression cuff containing an inflatable bladder, a flexible tube attached to the inflatable bladder at one end and attached to a bulb at the other end for manual inflating of such bladder, a control valve is disposed adjacent the bulb for deflating the bladder and a display means is provided for displaying the measured blood pressure. The compression cuff has sufficient length to wrap around the persons arm and has a retaining means, generally of a velcro type to secure the compression cuff on the arm during blood pressure measurement.
It is desirable to adapt such blood measuring device for passively exercising at least a portion of the human body for cost advantage reasons.